PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution stressed, however, that the former law minister was not being sacked from the party.
“This is a political party, it is not like leaving a job. Because it was his wish to leave, the political bureau agreed to grant his wish,” said Saifuddin.
“We want to make it easy for Datuk Zaid to make his next political move,” he told a press conference here.
Zaid, who was a deputy presidential contender in the just-concluded PKR elections, announced last week that his resignation from the party would take effect on December 16.
Zaid’s resignation letter, said Saifuddin was received by the party headquarters on November 19.
“In Keadilan, a member loses his membership if he is sacked or if he submits his letter. In Zaid’s case he sent in his resignation letter,” said Saifuddin.
“It is up to him if he wants to appeal, but I can’t answer a hypothetical question,” he said when asked if Zaid appeal for his membership to be reinstated.
When announcing his resignation last week, Zaid also said that he would most likely form a new party to contest in the next general election.
The former Kota Bahru MP had earlier accused the PKR leadership of condoning electoral fraud and malpractices.
He had also called on PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and incoming deputy president Azmin Ali to step down, accusing them of being the source of party problems.
Zaid, once at the forefront of local politics, created headlines when he quit his ministerial post in 2008 under the Abdullah administration, citing his disagreement with the government’s detention of DAP leader Teresa Kok, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and journalist Tan Hoon Cheng under the Internal Security Act.
He was later booted out from Umno and joined PKR in 2009, a move that was said to have helped boost the party’s credibility which has suffered greatly after Anwar’s September 16, 2008 takeover plan flopped.
Zaid was also PKR’s candidate in the Hulu Selangor by-election in April but failed to defend the federal seat
Zaid was also tasked with formalising the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition and framing its common policy framework.
He was also named the PR pro-tem committee chairman in the coalition’s registration application.
